Children spend much of each day in the home and they will bring to school many questions that they want answered: "Why does the water come out of the tap?", "Why does the light come on when we turn on the switch?" These queries and countless others can be answered in the classroom by the provision of books and equipment such as lenses, pulleys, magnets, microscopes, scales, weights, thermometers, rubber tubing, funnels, sieves and measuring tools.
Discovery about the wider world of far-off places and things is often not possible by direct, personal contact. A variety of audio-visual materials can be made available. Children can compare and contrast what they see and hear with places and things in their environment. Objects from far-away places can be introduced for children to handle in the classroom.
Appropriate material can give more precise and specific information, focus the children's attention on particular aspects, and stimulate children to ask questions and embark on further investigation. The use of various equipment and materials enables children to use more than one sense to learn and helps them to remember and understand.
Some of the resources teachers can use are: flannel board, television, listening posts, pictures, films, videotapes, audiocassettes, slides, filmstrips, compact discs, records and visitors to the classroom.
Factors which influence planning and scheduling vary from one school to another. Planning refers to both daily and long range decisions with respect to selection of materials, activities and topics. Scheduling refers to the blocks of time set aside for particular kinds of activities. Some Kindergarten classes meet every day for half a day, some meet all day every other day, and some classes are taught by a teacher responsible for other grades as well as Kindergarten children.
Whatever the situation, two principles apply. Daily and long range planning, to be effective, need to be based upon observations of the particular children in a class group. Schedules need to provide sufficient time for children to develop task orientation.
Once the physical space of the classroom has been organized into activity centres and materials have been assembled, it is necessary to develop long range and daily plans related to specific learning objectives. While routines are being established and children begin to make use of learning materials, the teacher follows a systematic plan for observing children, noting their interests, skills, language ability and level of conceptual development. This information provides the basis for planning. Long range plans need to include strategies for continually assessing children's progress in developing knowledge, skills, attitudes, processes and values. Program plans are adjusted in the light of these observations. Day-to-day plans are developed within the context of weekly, monthly and yearly plans.
Children benefit from participating in short-term planning once the teacher has identified individual program objectives. They can also become responsible for a degree of self-assessment.
Children who are not yet able to write can keep track of their activities by means of pictures or symbols, and can show their achievement by making oral reports, creating a model, dramatizing a story, or demonstrating a process. These can be done as individuals or in groups.
A schedule which provides sufficient time for children to develop task orientation (that is, carrying out plans to their conclusion) is characterized by large blocks of time. It is an observable fact that young children have difficulty attending to adult talk for long periods of time. However, they are capable of extended periods of absorption in activities matched to their interest and ability level. The imposition of too much structure (that is, a shortening of time periods during the session) will hamper rather than help the development of task orientation. As the year progresses, children become able to handle and benefit from longer periods of teacher-directed group activity. The teacher plans for an appropriate balance of active and quiet times, individual and group work, routine and free-choice activities, and self-initiated and teacher-directed activities. The balance will shift according to the nature of the children involved and the time of year. The following diagram shows the difference between a flexible schedule, which allows sufficient time for children to become engaged in their activities, and a schedule which divides the day into short segments.
| Flexible Schedule | Less Flexible Schedule | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | |||
| 9:00 | Free play | Opening | |
| 9:15 | " | Free play | |
| 9:30 | " | Gym | |
| 9:45 | " | Free play | |
| 10:00 | " | Snack time | |
| 10:15 | Clean up | Free play | |
| 10:30 | Outdoor play | Outdoor play | |
| 10:45 | Library | Listening game | |
| 11:00 | " | Story time | |
| 11:15 | Gym | Musical games | |
| 11:30 | " | Library | |
| 11:45 | End of session | End of session | |
The following sample timetables suggest alternatives that may be considered.